The 2007-08 schedule is as tough as ever with road games against NCAA Division I opponents UNC-Asheville, Presbyterian College, North Carolina A+T and the College of William and Mary. The Cavs will also participate in two early tournaments at NAIA D-II rivals, Asbury College and Berea College.
The AAC will be full of talented teams this year. King College should be the team to beat as they compete in their last season in the conference before making the move to the NCAA Division II. Tennessee Wesleyan, Bluefield and Milligan College should also have very talented teams and will compete for the conference title in 2008.
The point guard position is in great shape with senior returners Aaron Collazo and Stephen Whiteside. Collazo and Whiteside are excellent on-ball defenders and are great at leading the team offensively. Collazo led the Cavaliers in assists last year at nearly 4 assists per game and shot nearly 38% from 3pt land. He was also the fourth leading scorer averaging nearly 12 points per game. Whiteside played a huge role in the success of the Cavalier last year. He gave a spark off the bench for Montreat and his role will increase in his last season at Montreat. Former JV starting point guard, Steve Edwards, has been promoted to the varsity for his senior year and will provide depth at the point.
Senior Kinard Barnett returns to Montreat as the team’s best defender and is much improved at the offensive end. Barnett defended the opposing team’s best offensive player every night and his work earned him a spot on the AAC All-Defensive team in 2007. Barnett averaged over eight points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game last year. Those numbers will surely increase during his senior campaign as his role increases.
Senior Thomas Nicholson will bring depth and versatility to the Cavaliers. Nicholson is a pure shooter and has the flexibility to play three positions. At 6’6, Nicholson can post up smaller defenders or take bigger defenders out away from the basket and shoot the “3”. Last season, Nicholson over came a serious ankle injury to shoot over 39% from behind the three-point arc. Nicholson made five 3’s and scored a season-high 17 points versus NCAA Division II opponent, Erskine College.
Sophomores Timmy Harper and Matthew Pride will bring depth to the shooting guard position. Both Harper and Pride led the JV Cavaliers last year and will bring energy to Montreat both on and off the court. Harper is a great on-ball defender who can run all day while Pride is an explosive leaper and scorer.
Junior MJ Njoku will see increase minutes at the guard and small forward positions. He is extremely athletic and excels in the up tempo, open floor game that Montreat loves to play. Njoku transferred to Montreat from Erie Community College in January of last year and developed playing both JV and varsity. His role will increase with the graduation last spring of starting shooting guard, Thomaal Conyers.
The biggest question surrounding the 2007-08 Cavaliers will be “Who is going to play inside?” AAC Player of the Year, Noble Anthony has graduated along with fellow First-Team All-Conference player Tim Lewis. Jazz Cathcart, six man and major contributor to the success of the Cavs, has also graduated and freshman post Brandon Dula will red-shirt this season.
But young talent has arrived! Freshmen Seth Moore (Watauga High) and Matt Rushing (East Gaston High) will both step in right away and get major minutes for the Cavaliers. Moore’s All-Conference career in Boone ended early after suffering a knee injury in January. But Moore is healthy now and has shown no affects of the injury in fall workouts. Moore is a great athlete who can run the floor, rebound in traffic, score inside and knock down open jumpers.
Rushing, an All-Conference performer in both basketball and cross country in high school, can really fly around the gym. Rushing can shoot the “3” and has a great mid-range game. He is also deceptively quick and is an excellent rebounder. Although more suited to play the small forward position, Rushing will start his career at Montreat playing the power forward position due to the depth the Cavs have at that position.
The last piece to the Montreat puzzle is a very big addition to this year’s team. Junior transfer, Brian Adams brings size and toughness to the post for the Cavs. At 6’8, 285lbs, Adams is the biggest player to play at Montreat in many years. Brian has great footwork for a man his size and a very soft touch around the basket.
Coach Robinson is also very excited about the addition of two new staff members to the Cavalier family. Patrick Hanlon graduated this spring from Montreat and will continue his time at Montreat as men’s assistant basketball coach. Hanlon played five years for Coach Robinson and has been a very important part of the success during his tenure as a Cavalier. Also joining the coaching staff is Coach Rob Brendle, former head coach at Mayland Community College. Coach Brendle brings an enormous amount of experience to Montreat along with extensive knowledge of the recruiting landscape in North Carolina and the surrounding states.
Many long battles will be fought this season but the 2007-08 is committed to reaching their potential…..TOGETHER.